What a delight it was to receive three e-books by Kayla Jarmon to share with my children.
We read all three books in two sittings while looking at them as flipbooks on our computer screen.
Another day, I asked my children to re-read the books onscreen again with me, so each child could write a review of one of the books.
A Boy and His Dog
My youngest child, at seven, asked to review A Boy and His Dog. He said:
A Boy and His Dog is a 40+ page e-book about the adventures of a boy and his dog. It is told in pictures and words. Each page is mostly a picture with a few sentences to a paragraph. So, it is a quick read.
The illustrations are bright. One was comical. It was a dog and his boy who got covered in mud so they could not be recognized.
The story itself was okay. It tells about the boy's and dog's daily life. The boy has no lessons. He just plays with his dog all day. They are good friends.
I think people with dogs or people who want to get dogs would like this story. It is also good for people who like a quick story, and people that like simple illustrations.
Dog lovers and those with children who like loads of outdoor play will appreciate this book!
Don’t Forget Me (First in the Discussion Book Series)
My 10-year old daughter was eager to be the reviewer of Don’t Forget Me and even asked me if she could read it to me before she narrated her review.
She said:
Don't Forget Me is a 70-page, picture e-book. It is about a baby in the womb who gets born. God talks to the baby and keeps reminding him, "Don't forget me." The baby is curious, saying things like, "Why do I feel like I'm stretching" "What's that?" "It's getting tighter in here."
While the baby is in the womb, we learn that his mom and dad like to talk to him, and that the baby doesn't like sad. He also keeps telling God, "I know, I know... How could I forget you?.. I won't forget you. You made me..."
When the baby comes out, he's like, "Wow! This place is so big. It's almost too big. Is this my new room? Where's Mommy?" He is given to his Mommy, his Mom and Dad pray, and they keep saying, "Shh. Shh." The baby says, "Hey, really, it's okay, God can hear us all at the same time."
The books is a really cool, fun book. It has just enough words to get the story line and is mostly pictures. The pictures are cool, because, when the baby is in the belly, it is cool to see how he grows in the belly.
It is also cool how they color the text. The text is highlighted with different colors for different people. God has a yellowy gold color. The doctor and nurse have a blue color and the mom and dad have a pink color. The baby is just regular old print.
I like this story the best of all three, and I think it would be good for kids that are just starting to begin to read, pregnant people who have other kids, and pro-life people. The book shows how the baby grows inside the belly and celebrates life!
While the baby is in the womb, we learn that his mom and dad like to talk to him, and that the baby doesn't like sad. He also keeps telling God, "I know, I know... How could I forget you?.. I won't forget you. You made me..."
When the baby comes out, he's like, "Wow! This place is so big. It's almost too big. Is this my new room? Where's Mommy?" He is given to his Mommy, his Mom and Dad pray, and they keep saying, "Shh. Shh." The baby says, "Hey, really, it's okay, God can hear us all at the same time."
The books is a really cool, fun book. It has just enough words to get the story line and is mostly pictures. The pictures are cool, because, when the baby is in the belly, it is cool to see how he grows in the belly.
It is also cool how they color the text. The text is highlighted with different colors for different people. God has a yellowy gold color. The doctor and nurse have a blue color and the mom and dad have a pink color. The baby is just regular old print.
I like this story the best of all three, and I think it would be good for kids that are just starting to begin to read, pregnant people who have other kids, and pro-life people. The book shows how the baby grows inside the belly and celebrates life!
While the baby is in the womb, we learn that his mom and dad like to talk to him, and that the baby doesn't like sad. He also keeps telling God, "I know, I know... How could I forget you?.. I won't forget you. You made me..."
When the baby comes out, he's like, "Wow! This place is so big. It's almost too big. Is this my new room? Where's Mommy?" He is given to his Mommy, his Mom and Dad pray, and they keep saying, "Shh. Shh." The baby says, "Hey, really, it's okay, God can hear us all at the same time."
The books is a really cool, fun book. It has just enough words to get the story line and is mostly pictures. The pictures are cool, because, when the baby is in the belly, it is cool to see how he grows in the belly.
It is also cool how they color the text. The text is highlighted with different colors for different people. God has a yellowy gold color. The doctor and nurse have a blue color and the mom and dad have a pink color. The baby is just regular old print.
I like this story the best of all three, and I think it would be good for kids that are just starting to begin to read, pregnant people who have other kids, and pro-life people. The book shows how the baby grows inside the belly and celebrates life!
There are Scripture references at the back of the book, too.
Dying Is Part of This World (Second in the Discussion Book Series)
Dying Is Part of This World is a 58-page, chapter e-book with a few pictures. It is a discussion between a child and his mom about death. At the end of each chapter, there are discussion questions. The book also has Scripture references.
I liked the illustrations in the book. They are black and white and show everything from the kids' point of view, and I like the drawing style.
A lot of people are scared of death, so I think the author did well to write a book like this. She was clever in using an analogy of a baby being born onto earth and us dying and being born into Heaven. She tried to be honest and comforting without claiming to know everything.
I had trouble with some of the theology in the book. When people who are not Christian die, they do not automatically go to H-e-double-hockey-sticks. God has mercy. If someone does not know Him, because they have not been introduced to Him, they might still get to Heaven. The book makes it seem like only Christians can go to Heaven.
Another point I disagreed with was when she said God forbids talking to the dead. This is not true. Talking to the dead is just like talking to someone who is alive. They are still part of the Universal Church and the Communion of Saints. It is perfectly fine to talk to the dead (but be sure to know they probably are not going to answer you.)
Obviously, there are some things wrong with this book, but there are some things great with it, too. The author is very good at getting how a kid and Mom would talk to each other and that can get real kids and parents talking about death.
I would not recommend listening to all of the theology in this book, but I would say it may be a good book for parents and kids to read together if they can discuss it. Parts of it are good.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, our family has theological differences with the text of Dying Is Part of This World, but we all could appreciate parts of it, and I truly appreciate the author's efforts to make a tough topic easier for parents and children to discuss. She deals with some difficult concepts well!
Overall, we enjoyed A Boy and His Dog for its simplicity, playful humor, and cuteness, but our collective favorite was Don't Forget Me. It is the one book of the three we'd appreciate a hardcopy of and would consider gifting to and sharing with friends and family who have little ones, work with children, or are active in pro-life ministry.
We have heard audio files associated with each of these books are coming, so stay tuned for them.
Learn More
Fifty Homeschool Review Crew families reviewed these books. Find links to all the reviews the Homeschool Review Crew.
You can find Kayla Jarmon on social media at:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaylajarmonauthor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaylajarmon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylajarmon/
